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DianeMT_258On November 12, 2025, at 8:00 AM, I went to my adjustment of status interview with my U.S. citizen husband and my son. We arrived at the San Diego USCIS building at around 7:35 AM. The security guards asked for our IDs and appointment letters, and once everything was checked, we were allowed inside. We went up to the second floor where they took my photo and told us to wait until our name was called.
Around 8:30 AM, we were called in for the interview. Everything felt normal at first. The officer asked questions for our I-130 petition, and then moved on to the I-485 questions about my background and immigration history. When we were almost finished, I noticed the officer signaling to someone outside the door, but I didn’t think anything of it. I assumed she was communicating with her coworkers.
After we completed all the questions, she asked us to sign on the small screen. Then she asked if I had any updated photos or documents to add to my file. I had plenty of new family pictures, so I gave them to her. She stepped out— and that’s when everything changed.
Two ICE agents came in.
I was confused and shocked. They told me they were there to arrest me. They never showed any warrant. My husband and my son stood there frozen, not understanding what was happening. I immediately started crying. My husband hugged me and reminded me not to say anything until we talked to a lawyer.
Before they handcuffed me, I asked if I could hug my son because he was behind me crying. The officer allowed it, but he sighed loudly and raised his eyebrows as if it annoyed him. That broke my heart even more.
They escorted me down to the basement. I thought they would place me into a van right away, but instead, they changed my handcuffs and put chains from my hands to my waist and then down to my ankles. I cried so loud. I felt humiliated. I’m not a criminal.
They placed me in the van with three men already inside. I was the first woman. I overheard the agents saying they were going back to pick up more people. I kept crying, having an anxiety attack, asking where we were going because I needed my medication. They just kept saying, “We’re leaving soon,” even though we sat in that van for more than two hours.
Eventually, they drove us to the ICE detention center and separated the men and women. There were 25 of us arrested from USCIS interviews that same day, 7 women and 18 men. They kept us in a freezing cold room until 4 AM. It was traumatic, humiliating, and terrifying.
After that, they shackled us again hands, waist, ankles and took us to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. We arrived around 5 AM. For the next 17 hours, they kept moving us from one cold room to another, over and over. None of us had criminal records, yet we were treated like criminals. Later, the paperwork they gave us listed the reason for arrest as “visa overstayed.”
We were all confused because we believed that once you have an active adjustment of status case as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, overstays are forgiven. Instead, they kept transferring us from room to room every hour for 34 hours before placing us into a unit with about 150 people.
I cried constantly. The fear, the cold, the helpless feeling it was overwhelming. For the next two days, more groups arrived: 10 people, 7 people, 8 people, 5 people, all arrested from USCIS interviews.
Eventually, I went before a judge who granted me a $1,500 bond. Even the judge was shocked and asked the district attorney if any of us had criminal records. They couldn’t even look at him because none of us did.
After 20 days in detention, I was released with an ankle monitor. Being home with my family is a blessing, but it breaks my heart every day to see this device on my leg, making me feel like a criminal. My kids cry when they see it, and that hurts me more than anything.
What has been even more painful is how some people react to our stories. Some kept saying, “There’s no way this happened,” or “There must be more to the story,” or “They wouldn’t arrest people with no criminal records.” They didn’t want to believe us. But if anyone doubts it, please search online it’s all over the news now. Google and youtube "ice arresting people in san diego USCIS". This happened to many families. During my detention, I met several people who became my friends, We all shared the same experience, arrested at USCIS while doing everything the right way.
Read this: https://www.facebook.com/100064926482518/posts/1258162959691242/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Despite everything, I’m grateful to be home. We still have court hearings ahead, and I’m praying for strength and justice.
To anyone going through this, please know: you’re not alone. Stay strong, have faith, and pray for everyone facing the same nightmare.
Edit to my post: I also want to clarify that the son who was with me during the interview is my son from my previous marriage. I filed for adjustment of status before the 6-month stay that immigration gave me when we entered the U.S. last year.
I’ve actually been traveling in and out of the U.S. since 2021 with my kids, always following the rules and never overstaying, because my children can only travel during their school breaks. The only reason we overstayed this time is because, once you apply for adjustment of status, you cannot leave the country or your case will be considered abandoned. That’s why we stayed — we were simply following the process the way USCIS requires.
Also, the day after they arrested me, our I-130 was approved. but there has still been no update on my I-485. I think it’s because I was already detained, so now the judge will be the one to decide on my I-485.
Link of videos https://youtu.be/v0MkV87QATM?si=tjAtaDtKL8LIrHhp